1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in a flexible screw type conveyor system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional conveyor system for transporting a variety of objects, for example, bottles and the like, is illustrated in FIG. 14 of the accompanying drawings. This illustrated conveyor system of the conventional type is provided with a flexible screw c and a flexible guide member d spaced apart from and in parallel with the flexible screw c at constant intervals of place to allow the transporting object e to be interposed therebetween. In the flexible screw c, a flexible shaft made of a magnetic metal is spirally wound with a wire type body b.
In operation, an object e to be transported is caught in a flange portion f thereof between the flexible screw c and the guide member d, and the flexible screw c is turned, to thereby force the flange portion f of the transported object e by using the wire type body b so that the transporting object e is conveyed in the direction of the arrowhead g.
Also, the flexible screw c is supported by means of a guide rail h provided along the flexible screw c. This is feasible because the guide rail h has a plurality of permanent magnets i embedded therein, and the magnetic force of these permanent magnets causes the flexible screw c to stick to the guide rail h.
Moreover, the guide member d is also provided with a guide rail (not shown) in parallel therewith, and this guide rail also includes a plurality of permanent magnets placed at constant intervals to allow the guide member d to be attracted by and supported on the guide rail.
In general, however, the permanent magnets i included or embedded in the guide rails h have cobalt magnets applied to them, and therefore, the guide rails, which comprise cobalt magnets, have a high manufacturing cost. In addition, owing to the magnetic force of the magnet i, a great amount of magnetic dust in the air is adsorbed on the surface of the guide rail h, and the guide rail h and the wire type body b are abraded with the magnetic dust. As a result, the wear of the guide rail and the wire type body are accelerated. Also, if the transported object is formed of the magnetic body, there is the risk that the transported object is magnetized by the magnet i. These are disadvantages of the illustrated conventional conveyor system.
Also, in another type of conveyor system (such as disclosed in the Japanese Utility-Model Publicizing Gazette No. 79-34978), the worm is operated, to thereby drive the wire with a screw in the longitudinal direction thereof, and as a result, the conveying means attached to this wire is allowed to travel. In this conveyor system, it is therefore necessary that the worm is provided, the pitch angle of the wire screw and that of the worm are brought into coincidence, and a single thread of the worm is cut away so that a hanger wire of the conveying means does not come into contact with the threads of the worm.
As is apparent from the foregoing description, this type conventional conveyor system is difficult to manufacture, and is required to advance the wire to the longitudinal direction thereof, thereby necessitating extremely great force to drive the wire.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for improvements in the flexible screw type conveyor system, in which in order to overcome the foregoing disadvantages and problems of the conventional flexible screw type conveyor system, a conveyor system is simple in the overall construction thereof, easy to manufacture at a lower cost, and higher in the durability thereof, while at the same time, it does not magnetize the conveying object comprising a magnetic body.